South Boston, Wall Stadium New Additions To 2019  Whelen Modified Tour Schedule

(Press Release from NASCAR Integrated Marketing Communications)

The Whelen Modified Tour field on the backstretch during the Sunoco World Series 150 last month at Thompson Speedway (Photo: Fran Lawlor)

The 35th season of the NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour will feature a mix of historic short tracks on the eastern seaboard as well as the second running of the 250-lap showcase event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway.

For the third straight season, the Whelen Modified Tour will kick off at South Carolina’s Myrtle Beach Speedway. The race on Saturday, March 16, will precede the return of the tour to Virginia’s South Boston Speedway.

Following the southern swing, the tour will kickoff the New England racing season as the headliner for a pair of landmark Connecticut race weekends: the 46th annual Icebreaker weekend at Thompson Motorsports Park on Sunday, April 7, and the 48th annual NAPA Auto Parts Spring Sizzler on Sunday, April 28.

The 16-race tour calendar visits seven states and features the return to Wall Stadium Speedway in Wall Township, New Jersey. The tour has run three events at the high-banked third-mile oval, most recently in 2007.

“The NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour schedule celebrates some of most iconic eastern short tracks,” said Brandon Thompson, NASCAR managing director for regional racing. “It’s a nod to the old school NASCAR Modified division racing from Connecticut to Virginia competing for championship points and bragging rights. After a tremendous 2018 season, we are even more excited about what 2019 will bring.”

This past year, Long Island’s Justin Bonsignore rolled off eight wins en route to his first NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour championship. He out-distanced rising young star Chase Dowling and dethroned five-time tour champion Doug Coby to claim the top spot in the premier Modified series.

One of the highlights of 2018 was the inaugural Musket 250, a $25,000-to-win extra-distance championship event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Dowling took advantage of a clash between Bonsignore and former tour champion – and 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver – Ryan Preece in the final turns of the final lap to score his first win and claim the biggest winner’s purse in tour history.

The 2019 race at New Hampshire will be held on Saturday, Sept. 21.

The Whelen Modified Tour will also be part of the Monster Energy Series weekend at the “Magic Mile” with its championship points event on Saturday, July 21. The annual all-star race for the tour will be held on the 1.053-mile speedway on Friday, July 20.

Other schedule highlights include:

• Two premier northeastern tracks remain in place on the calendar: Massachusetts’ Seekonk Speedway will host the tour on Saturday, June 1. The tour’s trip to upstate New York and Oswego Raceway will be part of the track’s 63rd Annual Classic Week with the Toyota Mod Classic 150 presented by McDonald’s.

• Riverhead Raceway will host a pair of races: Saturday, July 6, and Saturday, Sept. 7. Bonsignore swept the two events at his home track in 2018.

• The championship will conclude with the traditional races at Stafford and Thompson. First will be the 47th Annual NAPA Fall Final weekend at Stafford on Sunday, Sept. 29, followed by the crowning of the 2019 champion at the 57th Annual Sunoco World Series of Speedway Racing on Sunday, Oct. 13.

Comments

  1. Juiced to see the Tour at Wall

  2. Nice early season two race swing down south to open things up. Adding the iconic Wall and dropping that silly mid summer trip to Tennessee. How is this not all outstanding and how is this not garnering any reaction whatsoever?

  3. I don’t think many Modified fans travel out of New England anymore- for a couple of reasons IMO- Tour is not worth the money, weekly Modified racing is so much better. With social media now, you can get updates immediately, no more calling the checker flag announcer at 11:00 pm to get the results.

  4. Glad to see Bristol off the schedule. Still would like to see a trip to Martinsville though.

    I would also like to see them do something with the 18 degree engines to make them competitive with the spec engines. That might assist in luring additional cars that are out there to the tour. Only my opinion.

  5. Looks like the NWMT is doing all it can to get BIG MONEY MATT to run the Tour. Got rid of a big boy track (Bristol) and added two small small tracks. Falls right into MH’s hands, he’s a tiny track specialist. There’s a ton of itty bitty tracks on the 2019 schedule.

    Sad to see Bristol off, I traveled there numerous times, it’s a great track for the mods. Perhaps the SPEC motors can’t take the sustained speed.

    Anybody know what the Tinio 44 team is doing? Being part time, with all the motor troubles, borrowing motors, etc. last year, what will they do this year? Bobby Santos deserves so much better.

  6. NH MOD CHASER says

    Nice to see the TOUR going to Wall. Have been there a couple of times for the Turkey Derby. COOL little place to see a race.

  7. Added SOBO and Wall. They lost Bristol and Langley. Overall same number of events but you are down 1 southern event. You hate to see Bristol go as it is such an iconic track but it’s a midweek show that involves a significant amount of travel. I don’t think too many teams will be upset. I would think the schedule changes are better for the vast majority of teams and may encourage a few more drivers to follow the tour this year.

  8. Hopefully the schedule change may make for more teams making all or most of the races. Wall is a whole lot easier than Bristol from a travel standpoint.

  9. Hopefully the schedule change may make for more teams making all or most of the races. Wall is a whole lot easier than Bristol from a travel standpoint.

  10. Adding a race at Wall. Teams better budget for an extra front clip!

  11. Clearly never have been to Wall but think it’s the bomb having watched races on youtube.
    Question: Bristol is out but could Wall be considered the Northeast version of Bristol with those high banks and lightning fast lap times.
    And unlike Bristol they will get a great crowd.
    It’s not that small a track really is it. Just very fast.

  12. “It’s not that small a track really is it. Just very fast.”

    It’s small enough that Dareal would discount a win by Pee Dee if it were to happen.
    He’s only good on teeny tiny is what we’re told.

  13. Hirshman to Speed51 post race.
    “Along with the 76 (Blewett), we were the class of the field,” Hirschman said. “[Sapienza] was right there in third, so I’m not taking anything away from him. But everything was going the way it needed to go in this race. Just when we took the lead – I didn’t even have the lead for a straightaway – [Blewett] just tried to harpoon me.
    “He wooed me up the track with his patented move. Then he just turned me once. He pulled back and then he turned me again. I don’t know what his problem was today, but that used to be what you expect out of Jimmy Blewett. I thought he changed, but at least for today he didn’t.”

    Speed51 typo alert! I doubt Blewett “wooed” Hirschman and that should be (moved)

  14. Wall is small, only ⅓ mile. 12-13 second lap times. That’s small. An itty bitty small track.

  15. darealgoodfella, they have those lap times because of the high banks letting carry speed. It is kind of like how Bristol is smaller than Thompson, but the average speed at Bristol is almost 10 MPH faster.(and almost 30 MPH faster than Stafford which is roughly the same size)

  16. Crazy in NY says

    Looks like the NWMT is doing all it can to get BIG MONEY MATT to run the Tour. Got rid of a big boy track (Bristol) and added two small small tracks. Falls right into MH’s hands, he’s a tiny track specialist.

    AND
    Wall is small, only ⅓ mile. 12-13 second lap times. That’s small. An itty bitty small track.
    ——————————————————————————————————————————————-
    Pure genius this daboy is. Yeah MH couldn’t handle the .533 Bristol oval but the .400 South Boston
    is no problem. Besides yourself who believes this drivel? ittsy bitsy teenie weenie is the space between your ears. Goodfella you gotta get a gig on Comedy Channel I swear.

  17. So Bristol is out and Wall, a mini Bristolish type track is in. Add to that Walls unequaled master of the third mile Blewett having a rhubarb with Hirschman or visa versa.
    Hirshman will likely take in the Wall NWMT race so drama should be afoot. We’ll see.
    As for Blewett being a bit of a hammer is there merit to that? At Thompson I’ve seen him do the turn one bonsai move low with other cars getting their feathers ruffled. Maybe Hirschman has a beef.
    Is adding Wall not just about the best move Nascar did in this schedule?

  18. Yes Doug he’s a hack now he’s going back to dirt they will school him again there I hope he’s done running asphalt what I see is he gets frustrated when cars are better than him he takes them out ask any tour driver

  19. Why y’all hating on Blewett for his racing deal with MH? TC did that all the time. When TC did it, y’all were cheering, and other cars were supposed to get out of his way.

    You should have known something was going to happen when the yellow with about 30 to go came out. MH wasn’t going to give an inch. Blewett was studying MH those previous 100+ laps.

    Folks, remember the TC three tap rule? How many cars just got out of the way? How many got moved? How many were wrecked? How many times did TC take himself out?

  20. Doug..you have something of a functioning brain here but you just have to find a way to cut the Stafford umbilical cord and venture out a bit. Jimmy is a wrecking ball at Wall. Always was..They do nothing about it either.

  21. So I may be the second or third dimmest bulb in the chandelier but not the dimmest you say Mr. NY. I’ll take it and thanks.
    Admittedly a proud local from Hooterville limiting my travels to Pixely via the Cannonball and my one local race track. That you find unacceptable and small minded do you?
    Well Mr. Region Wide globalist snob we locals are fed up with you people pushing your wide ranging upper crust ideas of racing fandom on we hicks from the sticks. So feel free to travel as far as you like to see any race you like with your fellow elitist traveling clique of know it alls. Just don’t push your racing values on us.
    How’s that Mr NY. I was trying to channel my inner porcupine. How’d I do.

  22. Crazy in NY says

    Anything.. Any subject big or small you use as excuse to crank out prose. It’s what you do. I just thought if you expanded your horizons a bit more it might lend a little more credence to your keyboard efforts to wear the little letters off the keys. My racing values?? I like that line.. must be you don’t own a mirror however. Elitist traveling clique…..!!! another jewel. At times I swear you and your Parchessi partner DaDuh must have split from the same ameba ( brain eating ones) or you’re an undergraduate studying at the Thin Skin University. Anyway…with that fun…..be sure you can bet I don’t give a rats backside where you go watch racing. Say hello to Sam Drucker for me. (wink)

  23. Sorry you took any of that seriously porcupine. it was meant to be amusing. My bad.

  24. Crazy, just as you would like to see Insipid Sybil expand her experience beyond Stafford and vicarious reality, it could be a big help if you and your NY clan expand your experiences to venues other than the itty bitty bullrings, and get on to some real speedways.

  25. Crazy in NY says

    …….Say hello to Sam Drucker for me. (wink)……….
    Back at you Doug. What does wink mean?

  26. This must all be amusing or annoying for the thread to see three geezers with nothing better to do engaging in a triangular firing squad of irrelevant nonsense.
    I start the ball rolling doing a bit on Mr. NY that turned out to be an epic fail. The porcupine levels insults and taunts at me understandably but also includes Dareal for reasons unknown. Dareal is tagged and predictably levels insults at me and taunts at Mr. NY to complete the triangle.
    So I guess it’s my turn but I’ll pass, apologize to the thread for starting this mess and cut my loses.

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